The Department for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations organized, over 23-24 November, Female Leaders in Security and Defence (FLSD) International Forum, a project coordinated by MoND and led under the aegis of South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial SEDM Regional Initiative, which will be chaired by Romania throughout 2023-2025.

Organized at a week after the SEDM Meeting conducted at Sofia, FLSD International Forum aims at emphasizing Romania's efforts in implementing UUN Resolution no. 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The forum working sessions were opened by State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, together with the Chairman of the Committee for Defence, Public Order and National Safety of the Chamber of Deputies, Laurentiu Leoreanu, Ambassadors of the SEDM states members, representatives of OSCE, UNO and NATO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities and the National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men.

The First Deputy of the Defence Minister from Georgia, Lela Chikovani, who was also invited to attend the event, together with State Secretary Simona Cojocaru and the Ambassadors of Italy, Turkey and representatives of the US Embassy participated in a panel dedicated to the role of women in the field of security and defence, in the context of the security situation from the Black Sea region.

General Secretary Georgeta Gavrila and Major General Florentina Ionita Radu, Commander of the Central Military Emergency Hospital, women leaders in the MoND, took the floor during the working session of the forum. The working sessions of the forum were also attended by the Greek and Croatian Ambassadors.

As part of the forum, the Romanian and Georgian officials had a bilateral meeting and commended the excellent bilateral relations in the field of security and defence and discussed new ways of cooperation, especially in the context of the signing, in October, of the Cooperation Agreement between Romania and Georgia.

The international activity continued with working sessions at the level of the experts from the SEDM member states, aiming at identifying good practices with respect to the involvement of women in the main projects run in the field of security and defence.

The Press Office